Uganda secures Shs2.8 trillion for HIV/Aids, malaria

Prof Vinand Nantulya, who is the chairman of CCM, a governing body of Global Fund, said Uganda had received more funds beyond its funding requests

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Dr David Kihumuro Apuuli, the board member for Eastern and Southern Africa Constituency of Global Fund, said the government needs to increase counterpart funding towards the three diseases to step up absorption for the grants to make a meaningful impact.

Kampala. Uganda through the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) has secured $792 million (about Shs2.8 trillion) from the Global Fund to fight HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2020.
Prof Vinand Nantulya, who is the chairman of CCM, a governing body of Global Fund, said Uganda had received more funds beyond its funding requests.
He said the development dispels earlier worries that Uganda would miss-out on funding after its application was bounced in April by the Geneva-based Global Fund Secretariat for corrections. The organisation is the world’s largest financier of anti-Aids, TB and malaria programmes.

“In total, the Uganda CCM has secured $250m for Malaria, $541 for HIV and TB combined, giving a grand total of $792m (about Shs2.8trillion),” Prof Nantulya said.
Prof Nantulya said the Global Fund had earlier allocated to Uganda a total of $465m (about 1.6 trillion) for Malaria, HIV, and TB combined.
However, due to increasing gaps in the funding for the three diseases and the need to strengthen health systems, he said the CCM submitted funding requests for an extra $464m for Malaria and $263m for HIV/Aids and TB control.
“The Global Fund Secretariat conveyed the good news that it had endorsed the recommendations of the Technical Review Panel to approve Uganda’s funding requests on May 18,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Diana Atwine, asked the implementing bodies and partners to ensure the grants benefit the patients through proper accountability and absorption.

“The government of Uganda appreciates this Global Fund assistance and congratulates the Uganda CCM… As a country, we still have a high disease burden and we are putting more emphasis on prevention as work towards our goal of ending three epidemics,” Dr Diana added.
However, Prof Nantulya said there are still accountability and absorption challenges in the current running grants, citing some accountability concerns around procurement of food for multi-drug resistant TB patients in some health facilities such as Gulu Regional Referral Hospital.

Dr David Kihumuro Apuuli, the board member for Eastern and Southern Africa Constituency of Global Fund, said the government needs to increase counterpart funding towards the three diseases to step up absorption for the grants to make a meaningful impact.